The Canadian government will ban the least
crash-resistant of tanker cars known as DOT-111s from
carrying dangerous goods, Transport Minister Lisa Raitt said
in Ottawa. DOT-111 cars carrying crude or ethanol that dont meet new
safety standards must be phased out or refitted within three
years, she said.

I am committed to making our country a model of world-
class safety, Raitt said in a statement. The
measures I am announcing today improve the safety of the
railway and transportation of dangerous goods systems from
coast to coast to coast.

The US and Canadian governments have tightened rail safety
rules after crashes involving oil shipments, including the
explosion in Lac-Megantic, Quebec in July, that killed 47
people.

The announcement comes after transportation regulators in the
US and Canada said Jan. 23 that crude oil hauled by rail
needs to be shipped in stronger tank cars and on safer
routes.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada recommended tougher
standards for DOT-111 cars, as well as better route planning
and detailed emergency-response plans in communities where
oil shipments travel, a recommendation Raitt accepted. Her
announcement didnt specify how slowly trains carrying
dangerous goods would be required to travel.

Shipments of oil by rail have increased as growing output
from Canada and the US exceeds pipeline capacity.

A US State Department report in January concluded that
denying TransCanadas Keystone XL pipeline wouldnt
significantly reduce production from Canadas oil sands
because output would reach markets in other ways, including
by rail.

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